Marshmallow-cutting machine



March 2 1926.

P. PASSNRELLI MARsHMALLow CUTTING MAGHINE 2 Sheets-Shen l Filed March 27 1925 ZZ .Z/

March 2 1926. 1,575,274

P. PASSARELLI MARSHMALLOW CUTTING MACHINE Filed March 27 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z3. Pass ar 2,2215

61km 'an u? Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

PASQUALE PASSARELLI, oF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MARsHMALnoW-cnrrms MACHINE.

Aspiranten inea March el?, `1925. serial No. 18,862.

To (Z211 who/m, t meg/, 'concern l' Be it'iki'riovvn that .PAfsQnimi P 1s-Ji arcitizen of the United reciting 'at Brooklyn, 1n the county of Kings and State 'of New York, have invented vcertaiii nevv and useful,` Improve'irients in h/[arshrnallow-Cut ting Machines, of which the fofllloviiirg is a specihcation.

lIhis invent-ion :relates vto improvements in nfiachines for cutting inashnrallow paste ii=ito squares, and has as its general object to provide 'a machine which will perform this opcrfatioii accurately and expeditioirsly mid will 'require no zitftention on the part ot the opel )tor orattendant except to supply the peste to 'the machii'ic.

4smother object el" the invention is to pio vide', in a machine for clflttili-g inllishinallamv p'ufste, means' vfor Yintelln'ittontly advaiucing a 'sheet 'ot marsllinallow pastv a critter operf ingr autoinatically to vmake transverse incisions in th'e sheet ol paste, and means eitlecting' the siinul'tf-mcous and consonant operation of the sheet feeding means and the cutting' means so that the transverse incisions inade in the sheet of paste' will be eq1ii'-Clista11't1y spaced and accurately formed. `In this connection, the invention also contemplates the provision of novel means for forming loi'igitudinal incisions in 'the sheet ot paste intersecting the transverse incisions and thus completing` the cutting operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide means iior somewhat compressing the sheet oi paste as it passes and is acted upon by the means for making '-.he transverse incisions therein, so that these incisions will be clearly defined and there will 'be no lik-elihocd of lthe paste adhering to the blade which forms the incisions'.

In the accompan fing drawings:

Figure l is a side `elevation ofthe machine embodying the piesent invention.

Figure 2 ifs a top plan View of a portion thereof.

.Figure 3- i-s a vertical transverse sec-.tional view taken substantially on the line 3;-3 of Figure l, looking in the direction indicatedby the arrows i Figure 4s is an enlarged dweil-sectional `vievt on the line4-4 of Figure 1i.

The machine includesa spportig frame structure Whicl'r its indicated in general by the numeral l and be of any desired construction, and this frame structure sup-` ports; the main fra-tneof thid mechine' or,

oi the frame 2 and these bers suppe rt a bed plate indicated by the numeral v6, which plate may be of' sheet metal and of a Width to extend substantially between the side members '3 and slightly l'elevated with respect thereto. A, shalt 7 .is journal'e-d .in suitable bearin'frfs 'upon the side members 3 Y ot Vthe t'abte ilfiaine i2 at one end 'of seid fname, and 1afdrum' 8 is fixed 'upon the said sl'iail. Ar similar drinn 9 is inoijxnted at the 'opposite ends 'et the iframe inenibers 3 or, in other Words, at the outer yends ot' lthe extended portioiis l thereof, and a conveyor belt 1Y0 is trained about the drums 8 and 9 and has its upper stretch led over the bed plate 6. Y

The main or power shaft 'ot' the inafchiie is indicated by the numeral 1.1 and the said shaft is mounted in suitable bearings 12 upon the side members of the main frame structure 1, and ht's fixed upon it Vat one end, a crank disc' 13 carrying" 'a `ort-nk pin 14. A ratchet Wheel l5 is `lixe'd upon one end of the shaft 7, and a rock arm 16 is loosely mounted upon this end ot the shaft beside the said ratchet Wheel 15 and atits upper end pivotallv supports. la; pawl 17 which `coacts with the teeth 'of the' ratchet Wheel. A connecting` rod 18 is pivot-ally connected at itsupper end as at 19, to the lower end of the rock 4arno 16 and at its lovver end is connected `to the cra-nk pin 14, and4 it will be understood at this point, that as 'the shaft l1 isV rotated and reciprocatory motion is imparted to the connecting rod 18- throughthe niedirurn of the crank pin 14, the arm `1b will be oscillated and, When' oscillated or rcked `infonie direction, the pawl 17 will ride freely over the' teeth of theI ratchet Wheel 15, butf when the 'i'm is rocked in the opposite direction, the pavfl will coactl with the teethy to `rotate the' ratchet Wheel a part of a revolution and impart corresponding rotary motion to thtx shaft 7 and the drumv 8 mounted thereon, thf'reby edvancing the conveyor belt a prexilete'- mined distance over the bed plate 6. It will also be understood that this movement is an intermittent one so that a sheet of marshmallow paste, indicated by the refer-l ence letter M, disposed upon the u o per surface of the upper stretch of the `conveyer belt, will be intermittently advanced inthe operation of the machine. The crank disc 13 is provided with a radial slot o" groove 130 receiving thehead 131 of the crank pm 14 which may be tot at any desiied point in the length Vof the slot orgroove to impart to the connecting rod 18 anyl desired throw. The length of each movement of the conveyer belt may thus be easily regulated so that the transverse incisions will be made at the desired intervals. The crank pin is held in its position by a nut 132 fitted on its outer -end and bearing against a washer 133 which, in turn, bears against the rinter end of a bushingl 134 extending throughout the end of the connecting rod around the pm and having a head 135 fitting between the connecting rod and the crank disc, as ,shown in Figur-e4.

Power is applied to the shaft 11, preferably through the medium ofv a belt l 2O trained about a pulley 21 which is loosely mounted upon that end of the shaft 1 1 opposite the end upon which the crank disc 13 is mounted. The pulley 21 has a clutch face 22, and a clutch member 23 is splined upon the shaft 11 for rotation therewith and for shifting movement longitudinally thereof, into and out of coactive engagement withl the clutch face 22 of the pulley.

A shifting lever 24 is mounted upon a suitable bracket 25 upon the frame 1, and is provided with a yoke 26 having connection with the clutch member 23 whereby the member may be shifted in the manner stated and thus the machine may be thrown into and out of operation.

In order that longitudinal incisions may be made in the sheet of marshmallow paste as the sheet is advanced by the conveyer belt 10, a shaft 27 is freely rotatably mounted at its ends in suitable bearings 28r upon the` forward ends of the side members 3 ofthe table frame 2 and above and parallel to the shaft 7, and rotary blades or cutters 29 of circular formare fixed upon the said shaft 27 at suitably spaced intervals and ride in peripheral contact withk the upper stretch of the conveyer belt 10 where it passes over the roll or drum 8. Thus, as the sheet of paste is carried, by the conveyer' belt, over theroll 8,v the circular blades 29 will form longitudinal incisions in the sheetythe blades being-rotated'through their peripheral contact with the moving upper stretch yof the conveyer belt. y l' In order that transverse incisionshmay be made in the'sheet of marshmallow paste, before the longitudinal incisions are made,

means is provided which will now be described. A pair of bars 30 are secured upon the upper sides of the side members 3 of the frame 2 of the machine and extend cross heads 33. The said rods 32 and the cross heads 33 and 34 comprise the side members of the cutter head of the machine, and a blade 36 is secured at its end edges by bolts 37, to the rear sides of the said side members of the cutter head, or, in other words, the sides thereof which are presented toward the drum 9, the blade extending transversely between the side members of the cutter head and occupying a vertical plane and having its lower edge beveled to form a cutting edge indicated by the numeral 38. A connecting rod `39 is journaled by a bearing 40 to the intermediate portion of the shaft 35 and the lower end of this rod is connected to the ring 41 of an eccentric. The disc of the eccentric is indicated by thc numeral 42 and is fixed upon the shaft 11 at the intermediate portion thereof, and it will now be evident that as the shaft 11 rotates, the cutter head comprising the side members and the biade 36, will be vertically reciprocated so that the blade will be intermittently moved downwardly to bring its cuttingedge 38 into contact with the upper surface of the Vupper stretch of theeonveyer belt 10, thereby forming transverse incisions in the sheet of marshmallow paste supported by the said stretch of the belt;

In practice, the arrangement of the parts will be such that the arm 18 will be rocked in a direction to impart rotary motion to the ratchet wheel 15 and advance the upper stretch of the conveyer belt 10 longitudinally over the surface of the bed plate y6, while the blade 36 is moving upwardly and starts on its downward travel, the arm 16 being rocked in the reverse direction, and the ratchet wheel 15 and conveyer belt 10 remaining idle while the blade is completing its downward stroke and is forming the incision in the sheet of marshmallow paste. Thus, the mechanism will operate to automatically effect the formation of transverse incisions in the sheet of marshmallow paste along equi-distantly spacedl lines, and the knives 29 will operate automatically to Aform ,longitudinal incisions in the said sheet, so that squares of the marshmallow paste will be delivered from themachine in the operation thereof.r

In order that the sheet of marshmallow paste may be compressed or compacted and thus reduced to inform thickness, as it passes the cutting blade 36, a pair of vertical guides li3 is mounted at each side of the machine upon the side members 3 of the table 'trame and in planes in front and in rear of the vertical plane occupied by the blade 36. Bearing blocks /l-fl are slidably mounted in the guides @L3v and adjustingl screws 151:5 are swiveled at tieir lower ends in the blocks and threaded at their upper portions through the upper ends of the said guides, these screws being provided with heads ll-(i at their upper ends whereby they may be P adjusted to vertically adjust the blocks.

Presser` rolls 47 are rotatably journaled al. their ends in corresponding ones of the bearing blocks 44 and are, in this manner, supported above the upper stretch of the conveyor belt l0, one of the rolls beine' located in advance of the blade 36 and the other in rear thereof. It will be evident at this point and by reference to Figure l of the drawings, that by adjusting thc screws 45, the rolls may be adjusted so as to exert pressure upon 'the sheet of marshmallow paste drawn beneath them in the travel of the upper stretch of the conveyor belt so that the paste will he compressed to a desirable degree substantially at the time it is acted upon by the blade 36 to form the transverse incisions therein. By thus compressing or com pacting' theA paste at this period in the treati'nent thereof, the incisions made by the blade 36 are more accurately 'and evenly formed and there is less likelihood of the paste adhering to the blade and being lifted by the blade when the blade moves upwardly. Likewise, the rolls 47 serve to co1npress the paste to uniform thickness so that the squares cut from the sheet of paste will be more uniform than if the rolls were not employed.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim. is:

l. In a machine for cutting a sheet of confection paste into pieces of uniform size, a conveyer belt for supporting' and advancing the sheet, a. cutter including a blade movable vertically into and out of cooperative relation to the belt to cut the sheet transversely of .its line of travel, means for reciprocating' the cutter, compressing rollers extending,` across the sheet in advance of and to the rear of said blade, and means for in'iparting intermittent movement to the belt in consonance with the operation of the cutter. v

2. ln a machine for cutting a sheet of confection paste into pieces of uniform size, a conveyor belt for supporting and advanc ing` 'the sheet, means supporting,- the upper stretch of the conveyor belt, a cutter inn cluding a blade movable vertically into and out of cooperative relation to the sai d upper stretch of the belt for cutting the sheet transversely of its line of travel, means for operatinir the cutter', compressing rolls supported above the said upper stretch of the belt at opposite sides of the blade and ad* jacent thereto and constituting means for compressing;` the sheet at its portion which is acted upon by the blade in the cutting operation, and means for imparting' intermittent movement t-o the belt in consonance with the operation of the cutter.

` 3. In a machine for cutting a sheet of confection pasteinto pieces of uniform size, a frame including side bars, spaced drums rotatably mounted between said side bars, a conveyor belt trained about the drums for supporting upon its upper flight'a sheet to be cut, cross bars carried by said side bars and extending beneath the upper flight of said belt, a cutter head comprising spaced side members each` including` vertically disH posed posts slidably extending through openings in said side bars at opposite sides of the upper Hight ofthe conveyer belt, crossheads connecting the upper and lower ends of said posts, a cutting blade extending* between and secured to said side members and movable vertically with the side members into and out of relation for forming transverse cuts in a sheet of confection paste carried by the upper flight of said belt, a shaft connectingr the lower crosshead of said side members, a drive shaft, a pitman extending,r between the shafts` and connected therewith for impartingreciprocaitory movement to the said head, means actuated from said drive shaft to effect intermittent travel. of the conveyor belt, and means for forming longitudinally extending cuts in the sheet of confection paste as it is moved by said belt.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

PASQUALE PASSARELLI. [n s] 

